William Prochnau was born on August 9, 1937 in Everett, Washington, USA. He was a writer, known for Proof of Life (2000) and By Dawn's Early Light (1990). He was married to Laura Parker and Lani Gruger. He died on March 28, 2018 in Washington, USA.
He covered the Vietnam War for the Seattle Times, and wrote about politics and national affairs for magazines and newspapers.
He attended Everett Community College and Seattle University. He turned down an offer to play minor-league baseball in favor of a sports-writing career in Washington state and Alaska.